by Rod Hughes
Well, the ravenous sports writers of this country cannot gripe about this: The Costa Rican under-17-year-old soccer All-Star team has advanced to the threshhold of the quarter finals in the world tourney for the age group being held in South Korea.
They did it with a 2-0 pasting Tuesday of the host South Koreans at Suwon. The game, as might be expected at that level, was hard-fought with the first goal coming late in the second half when substitute Marcos Urena scored in the 85th minute. Six minutes later, in replacement time, midfielder Jessy Peralta sealed South Korea’s fate.
With a total of four goals so far, Costa Rica leads the tourney with a difference of 2 goals in their favor. Second place Peru also has four goals but has suffered one more goal against them and is up only one goal. Peru, by the way, tied Togo 0-0.
The AFP wire service reporter described both teams’ performances Tuesday as “brilliant.”
The hosts rate a certain sympathy. South Korea has suffered from being overwhelmed by the Latin tactics of soccer. But according to the wire service, the home team played well against their Tico rivals and even put Costa Rican goalie Leonel Moreira through his paces a couple of times.
The games were actually played in the afternoon Costa Rican time, but South Korea is across the International Date Line.